Beyond the audio, video and washing machines, CES is the place for trend spotting
My top-5 trend picks for this year
1:IoT: Smart offices, smart homes, smart cars and
smart devices. Clearly M2M, device connectivity and “smart” are domains
where money is being bet. And it’s not just about the devices but also
platforms. They’ve got their own little war going on. Zigbee, Z-wave,
Bluetooth, WiFi and more. Jury is still out on who will win & its
only a matter of time when Cupertino and Mountain View jump in and add
another dimension to their own wars games
2:Drones: From war accessories to outdoor adventure
toys to application drivers in industry, drones are at their next level
of evolution. With chip makers like Intel driving core process
innovation in tandem with drone manufacturers it’s only a matter of time
when civil aviation and lawmaking authorities around the world will
have invest in procedural operating standards
3: 3-D printing. Though far from a gallop or even
from a slow canter this horse is getting at least into a slow trot. In
terms of an equivalent comparison, the evolution is still at the dot
Matrix stage but the speed of evolution here is going to be fast, very
fast. That that 3-D printing is going to impact manufacturing,
especially tooling and precision engineering, is a no brainer but I
feel it has the power to change geo-eco -political dynamics if you know
what I mean …and that's why watch out for this trend
4: Virtual reality. Or immersive multimedia if you
like. Entertainment and sensory experience is changing and how. Ears and
eyes are converging and its only time before the other three get
involved. I perceive two primary challenges 1: unwieldy hardware. That
semi helmet
like device makes me claustrophobic and 2: Entertainment for many is
social and not individual (though most kids glued to their phones will
disagree) so how does virtual reality crack that? Samsung did showcase a
full theater. But then again it was limiting and unwieldy
5: App linked devices. Or device linked apps if you
are software biased. Huge action in wearable (devices and apparel) in
the wellness and healthcare domains. From pregnancy tests to BMI index
to HRM all can be captured and measured conveniently. Hope it promotes a
healthy race and reduces healthcare coats for allI wish there was some Indian presence
I came across innovative companies from around the world. There were Chinese, Koreans, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Brazilians, Croatians, Czechs Taiwanese but not one single Indian company! Not even big names like Reliance, Tata’s, Mahindra’s, Birla’s. Not even our famous IT SWITCH
To be counted at a global level innovation and leading the trend curve is the only benchmark Helicon Consulting
